Ed Sheeran has been no stranger to hard times in recent years as the star opens up about his mental health battles in a new four-part documentary which airs today.
The new Disney+ series, The Sum Of It All, was originally due to explore his upcoming fifth album Subtract which is set to be released at the end of this week, but plans for the film changed after the singer was hit with a series of a tragic events.
The British singer-songwriter, 32, has recently spoke of his wife Cherry Seaborn's heartbreaking cancer diagnosis while she was pregnant with their second child last year.
Tragedy struck Sheeran again when he lost two of his close pals in 2022 to sudden heart attacks and struggled with suicidal thoughts as a result of his grief.
On top of all this, the father-of-two is currently in the midst of a legal battle over his song Thinking Out Loud in which he is accused of copying Marvin Gaye's legendary R&B song "Lets Get It On".
Here we take a closer look at Sheeran's recent mental health battles after dealing with his wife's cancer scare, the loss of his two close friends and his legal troubles in the music industry.
Wife's cancer diagnosis
Ed's wife Cherry Seaborn, 30, was diagnosed with cancer in February 2022 while she was six months pregnant with the couple's second daughter, Jupiter.
The singer shocked fans when he revealed in March 2023 that his wife had been receiving treatment for a tumour in her arm in an Instagram post to promote his album Subtract.
The type of cancer Cherry had and how the diagnosis came about has not been disclosed.
The couple, who both grew up in Suffolk and have known each other since they were 11 years old, open up about the terror of not knowing if Cherry would survive in the new documentary.
At the time of her diagnosis, the mum-of-two was told that she would not be able to undergo surgery for the tumour until she had given birth.
In the first episode of the four part series, titled 'Love', Cherry explains why she decided to be a part of the documentary as she opens up about how she was forced to reflect on her mortality.
The consultant said: "I would never agree to do anything like this but it made me think: 'Oh if I died, what's people's perception of me? What do you leave behind?'"
When the tumour was first discovered, doctors initially told her 'this is really bad'. However once, a sequencing of the tumour was completed, the couple were told the cancer was manageable and surgery could be done after birth.
Her diagnosis is believed to be the inspiration behind Ed's change of direction for the documentary as he wants to leave behind his own legacy one day and be remembered for something other than his music.
Ed tearfully reveals in the documentary that after hearing about his wife's devastating diagnosis, he wrote seven songs in four hours "to cope with the pain" he felt.
Thankfully, little Jupiter was born healthy in May 2022 with Ed announcing her arrival on Instagram with a photo of a tiny pair of socks. At the end of 2022, Cherry was told by doctors that her tumour had not returned
A source told The Sun that she is "recovering well" following her treatment and that the couple are both looking to move forward from the traumatic experience as they adapt to becoming parents again.
Tragic loss of two close friends
Ed tragically lost two of his close friends at the beginning of 2022 to sudden heart attacks within the space of weeks.
One of them being British music entrepreneur Jamal Edwards who helped Ed rise to fame in 2010 with his debut single 'The A Team'. Labels were not interested in Ed, but Jamal kickstarted his career after he put him on his YouTube channel.
The two were best friends for years before his death in February 2022 and Ed even moved in with his family for a period of time.
Much of The Sum Of It All documentary is also about the SBTV founder who passed away 31-years-old from a heart attack after mixing alcohol and cocaine in his mother's home.
Ed recalled how he had spoken with Jamal, who he has described as a 'brother' to him, the night before his sudden death about an upcoming video shoot.
The singer, who previously admitted his own drug use, vowed to never touch drugs again out of respect for Jamal. Ed spoke of his own drug habits that began in his early 20's as he recalled: “I remember just being at a festival and being like, ‘Well, if all of my friends do it, it can’t be that bad,’”.
Without naming the substance, he continued: "And then it just turns into a habit that you do once a week and then once a day and then, like, twice a day and then, like, without booze. It just became bad vibes.
“I would never, ever, ever touch anything again, because that’s how Jamal died. And that’s just disrespectful to his memory to even, like, go near.”
Another friend of Ed's - Australian cricketer Shane Warne - also passed away in March 2022 aged 52 from a heart attack while on holiday in Thailand.
Ed and Shane became close pals after they met at a Kylie Minogue gig in 2014. The dad-of-two revealed the last eerie phone call he had with Shane just days before his death about the anniversary of the passing of Australian music promoter Michael Gudinski.
The late cricketer heartbreakingly told Ed in their final conversation: "The world keeps taking incredible people away".
Paying tribute to his special friend, Ed said: "He gave so many hours and years of his life to bring joy to others, and was such an amazing friend to me. I'll bloody miss you mate."
Mental health battles
After the loss of his two close pals and his wife's cancer diagnosis all within the space of a few weeks, Ed's mental health began to take a toll on him.
The singer recently opened up about his suicidal thoughts to Rolling Stone Magazine as he confessed he "didn't want to live anymore".
Ed added that he felt ashamed of his "selfish" thoughts given that he had two young daughters to care for but revealed that he had struggled with mental health battles throughout his life.
To cope with his sudden grief, Cherry prompted him to get therapy for the first time. Ed told the magazine: “No one really talks about their feelings where I come from.
“People think it’s weird getting a therapist in England. I think it’s very helpful to be able to speak with someone and just vent and not feel guilty about venting.
"Obviously, like, I’ve lived a very privileged life. So my friends would always look at me like: ‘Oh, it’s not that bad.’"
The death of his close friends resulted in a bout of depression for the star which is something he revealed he has experienced in various points of his life, with the first being when he was bullied for not fitting in during primary school.
The singer also got candid about his binge drinking and drug use, both of which he has now quit since becoming a parent and the shock of Jamal's death.
He recalled how his wife Cherry asked him: "If my waters break, do you really want someone else to drive me to the hospital?” which made Ed realise he had to give up the booze.
Speaking of his drinking habits, he said: I don’t ever want to be p***ed holding my kid. Having a couple of beers is one thing. But having a bottle of vodka is another thing. It’s just a realisation of, ‘I’m getting into my 30s. Grow up! You’ve partied, you’ve had this experience. Be happy with that and just be done.’”
The songwriter has also spoken about how his lifestyle changes have helped him manage his binge eating disorder as he reveals how much he struggled with being compared to other young men in the music industry.
He said: “I was in the One Direction wave, and I’m like, ‘Well, why don’t I have a six pack?’ And I was like, ‘Oh, because you love kebabs and drink beer.’
"Then you do songs with Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes. All these people have fantastic figures. And I was always like, ‘Well, why am I so … fat?’”
The star has expressed his feelings about how important he believes it is to be more open and honest about mental health as a man despite how uncomfortable it might feel.
He told Rolling Stone Magazine : “I have a real eating problem. I’m a real binge eater. I’m a binge-everything. But I’m now more of a binge exerciser, and a binge dad. And work, obviously.”
Copyright battle
After previously winning a copyright lawsuit over his hit single 'Shape of You' in April last year, the singer has been hit with another legal case over his record 'Thinking Out Loud'.
A judge ruled at the High Court last year that the singer-songwriter had not plagiarised 2015 song Oh Why by Sami Chokri when writing his 2017 single, 'Shape of You'.
The two artists who sued him for copyright infringement were ordered to pay out $1.1m to the pop star in legal fees.
He is now in the midst of another copyright trial after being accused of copying Marvin Gaye's 973 slow jam classic “Let’s Get It On”. with his 2014 number 1 single 'Thinking Out Loud'.
Ed is currently being sued by the heirs of Ed Townsend who is the composer of the song, with the lawsuit - which was initially filed in 2017 - taking six years to finally reach a Manhattan federal court.
Ed's lawyers have argued that the song uses harmonic progressions and melodies which are found in many pop songs.
The singer has threatened to quit music if he loses the case as he told the court he found the allegations against him 'insulting'.
Ed's new documentary is said to be a very moving watch as it explores an intimate view into the 'Shape of You' singer's marriage, loss and mental health. It comes just days ahead of his sixth studio album Subtract which is due to be released at the end of this week on May 5.
His new music is believed to be hugely inspired by his recent grief and heart breaking life experiences in the last year. Speaking of what the album is about in a recent Instagram post, Ed said: "For the first time, I'm not trying to craft an album people will like, I’m merely putting something out that’s honest and true to where I am in my adult life."
The star's new tear-jerking four part series The Sum of It All will be available to watch on Disney+ from May 3.
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